MaptimeATL Forming

Maptime is, rather literally, time for mapmaking. Our mission is to open the doors of cartographic possibility to anyone interested by creating a time and space for collaborative learning, exploration, and map creation using mapping tools and technologies. This open learning environment for all levels and degrees of knowledge offers intentional support for the beginner. Maptime is simultaneously flexible and structured, creating space for workshops, ongoing projects with a shared goal, and independent/collaborative work time.

Inspiration for Maptime comes from both hack nights and knitting circles. Both are models of spaces for people to create and learn together. Our goal is to provide this space with an open heart and without pretension. You can bring your own projects to work on, or just hang out and socialize or ask questions. Some people are experts, and some people are just getting started, but all of us are learning, so why not do it together?

Maptime is hands-on, so don't forget to bring your laptop!

Connect.js Coming in October

This from Chris Spruck at the PHP group:

Hi everyone!

The Connect.js conference here in Atlanta is back (http://connect-js.com/) and the call for papers is open! Nic Rosental and I are helping organize the PHP track, so we'd love to see lots of great submissions from our members and see you at the conference. Don't wait too long to submit!

New Way to Help Sponsor Your Group

A friend of mine runs LiveSoftwareEvents.com, a way to live-stream video and make money from it. The organizer doesn't pay, just the remote viewers. They pay a reasonable $1 per hour which gets split with the organizer. If you or your group would like to give it a try, contact Bernie LiveSoftwareEvents and give it a try.

Sugar CRM Group Re-Lanuch

The local Sugar CRM community has had an on-again, off-again series of meetups over the years. Looks like it's on agian. See their Meetup Page. I have mixed feelings about Sugar's Open Source commitment, but here's hoping they get things going again.